How do you organize your concert?

Hello,

Well, it depends. Without an agency behind you, you obviously have to approach it with the mindset that everything will be more difficult, because you have to deal with areas that you might not be aware of. I would suggest skipping organizing an event at the beginning because, besides being expensive, it often doesn't yield the expected results.

I would recommend finding some places looking for pianists, playing in piano bars; if you play contemporary music, you could also offer to play at parties and weddings—in short, there is no shortage of ideas. As for the financial aspect, obviously, you would need to speak with an accountant, because if you want to do things properly, there are many aspects to consider.

What does this have to do with concerts? Simply by making yourself known, you will have more opportunities for growth and therefore a higher percentage of probable concert offers due to the greater experience acquired.

Obviously, I am still a student, so I can only advise you based on my own knowledge; someone already established in the sector will be able to give you more ideas, but in general, it is obvious that they look for people with vast repertoires, lots of experience, and above all, a fairly high percentage of audience/clients. If I were you, I would continue by looking for an agency (at least in the beginning).

Perhaps I explained myself poorly, I was talking about Classical concerts... not buffoonery

Avoiding the discussion of "it's too difficult, I'll give up" because it is subjective; I have been taught that without sweating you achieve nothing, so personally I am willing to face whatever difficulties arise without too much fuss, others will probably seek another path..

Obviously there are problems with organization and the financial aspect, and that is why I asked here on the forum, to obtain qualitative rather than quantitative answers:

- Regarding organization, one needs to know etc.. etc..

- Regarding the financial aspect, it is necessary to do etc.. etc..

If there is someone who knows more than the two of us, I would be very pleased if they shared their knowledge with us

Normally, those who organize a concert are not the musicians but various associations or municipalities. These can be organizations at the level of Non-profits (Onlus), Municipalities, Pro Loco, municipal, provincial, regional, national, and international organizations.

The musician puts themselves out there.

How do you put yourself out there? There are several methods that can be integrated with one another...

- You open a website and propose your ideas/recordings/points of view/interpretative styles and try to grow your image so that associations notice you

- You propose yourself to associations by sending emails and audio material, having yourself added to the list of people who can be called when an event is organized

- You propose yourself to municipalities and Pro Loco

- You propose yourself to schools

- You enter piano competitions and try to win them

- You keep your artistic curriculum up to date and supplement it with other qualifications

- You attend masterclasses with internationally recognized Masters

- You hustle left and right to try to gain notoriety

- You try to get in as a Professor within a conservatory (A diploma under the old system + teaching qualification is required, or a Bachelor's degree + two-year Specialist degree + teaching qualification)

- Various other things that don't come to mind right now

Obtaining paid concerts, especially in classical music, is very, very difficult because you have to be a recognized name. Just think that among the best students of Italian conservatories who come to perform around the nation, there isn't ONE single person who is granted an honorarium.

In any case, how do payments work?

Up to 5000 euros per year, it is not necessary to declare income, as required by Italian law. From 5000 euros onwards, a VAT number (PI) is necessary, or you have a withholding tax applied.

I understand, I knew some of those things, but taking note that normally it is the associations etc. that organize concerts because as a musician I cannot organize my own concerts? It's almost a paradox..

Is there no way to organize one's own concert by renting a hall, arranging a piano rental, and doing promotion on one's own? If so, how?

I don't want to believe that this is not possible...

Everything can be done, but I don't see why you would throw away 1000 euros to self-organize a concert when, by leaning on an organization, not only do you pay nothing, but you might even make a little money...

If you want to organize a concert on your own, you have to rent a hall, lease a piano, call a tuner to prepare it for you, print flyers and advertisements to spread the news of the event, and concert program booklets to distribute to the people who will attend. You won't manage to do anything but break even.

If you want to be given a municipal hall that already has a piano inside... either you know someone who pushes for it, or if you are not an association, no one will ever listen to you.

It is better to present yourself to associations. They already have their hands in the dough with other organizations, municipalities, and so on. They already know how to move regarding promotion and presumably already have a certain number of people following them, so you also have a guaranteed audience margin. Certainly, the more you bring, the better.

pianothor wrote:

why can't I, as a musician, organize my own concerts?

Of course you can ... but it ends up like Simone described

Why, from what I am told, organizations make the well-connected people who have won competitions play first, then the well-connected ones, and finally those like me, poor souls (maybe I will win a competition in the future, but at the moment I am in this category).

So I predict the frequency of my concerts will be veeeery low.. that's why organizing concerts on your own proves significant, because that way you can add new important notes to your curriculum that might earn you points within the organizations' rankings (this is if organizations work the way I think they do).

If one cannot recover everything, it could be called an investment... Obviously, one does not live only on DIY concerts, but that would make me gain popularity, wouldn't it?

These are all predictions; if anyone can confirm or deny them, I would be grateful

pianothor wrote:

Because from what I am told, organizations make the well-connected people who have won competitions play first, then the well-connected ones, and finally those like me, poor souls (maybe I will win a competition in the future, but at the moment I am in this category).

So I predict the frequency of my concerts will be veeeery low... that's why organizing your own concerts is significant, because that way you can add new important notes to your curriculum that might earn you points within the organizations' rankings (this is if organizations work the way I think they do).

If you really can't recover everything, it could be called an investment... Obviously, one doesn't live solely on DIY concerts, but that would make me gain popularity, wouldn't it?

These are all predictions; if anyone can confirm or deny them, I would be grateful.

Look, from what I have experienced so far, it is true, favoritism exists, but how can you destroy it? Simply give your best, play even when you find yourself exhausted at the end, make it obvious that you are superior to others, with an absurd level of distinction. In this way, a well-connected person can do nothing, because no matter how much favoritism goes on, those who hire are interested in making money, not recommending someone. Once you have done this, you yourself will become well-connected, but not of those who arrive without doing anything and move ahead, but of those who worked their asses off and, by making the right connections, moved forward.

To summarize, it is true that favoritism exists, but the well-connected often lack one thing: the talent and competitiveness typical of those who have no choice but to give 200%, even if it seems impossible!

Of course Lowseling, but to give your best you must play to an audience, and playing within the walls of your own home isn't worth it..

So, in addition to exams and small concerts from occasional events, if you want to gain visibility you must inevitably perform serious concerts, which you won't do frequently unless you organize them yourself for the reason I mentioned before (organizations etc..) and I am telling you this as someone who always strives to give their maximum when facing an audience because you never know who might be listening to you..

Obviously, those with connections can be surpassed; in fact, I'm not complaining, but I am looking for a way to salvation. I already know the "basic concepts" like giving your all, the fact is that they must be applied, and to apply them one must practice the activity (playing), and to practice the activity one must seek information, which is why I opened this topic

pianothor wrote:

Of course Lowseling, but to give your best you must play to an audience, and playing within the walls of your own home doesn't count..

So, besides exams and small concerts from events that happen occasionally, if you want to gain visibility you must inevitably perform serious concerts, which you won't do frequently unless you organize them yourself for the reason I mentioned before (organization etc..) and I am telling you this as someone who always strives to give their maximum when facing an audience because you never know who might be listening to you..

Obviously, those with connections can be surpassed; in fact, I'm not crying over spilled milk, but I am looking for a way to salvation. I already know the "basic concepts" like giving your all; the fact is that they must be applied, and to apply them one must practice the activity (playing), and to practice the activity one must seek information, which is why I opened this topic.

The largest event I played at had 500 people; it might seem like a small number, but if you put them in a small town like mine inside the municipal stadium, it's actually quite a lot (besides, it's always 500, not 20/30). This event was organized by a cultural association looking for volunteers to play, and even though I didn't make any money, I met many people in the field who might be useful to me soon. Sometimes I have to admit it is also a matter of luck; you should see if you can find some event like the one I participated in, although in larger cities (I read that you are from Mantua) I think it might be more difficult.

Yes, I have also played at events like these, not with 500 people but 200-300.

What I want to say from the very beginning of the topic is that it doesn't matter to hold an event of this caliber once a year, but rather with frequency; that is why I was looking for information regarding concert organization.

Only if they are done frequently do you have the possibility of growth, and frequency (in the beginning) is obtained either by being recommended or (from what I understand) by organizing concerts yourself (obviously this is when you are starting out like me and you); many other concertists here won't need to do this because after building a certain "fame," frequency comes naturally (because you are contacted by associations, etc.).

I was looking for information on how to start this frequency of concerts; Simone rightly says to put yourself out there (obviously, otherwise who will call you?), but is that enough? Will one have to do something more to be chosen over others or not? And that something extra, in my opinion, is quality and popularity.

Hoping for someone who can confirm or deny whether organizing concerts yourself to launch a career as a concertist is an investment or not... (which is the true purpose of this discussion)

Personally, in associations, I have never seen or even heard of recommendations. Most of the time, associations don't even know how a piano is made, let alone being able to recognize the value of an interpreter (but one shouldn't paint everyone with the same brush). The last concert we did in Civitavecchia is proof of this. The association chose the wrong hall and the wrong piano—though it was a piano regardless; obviously, I'm not here to blame them, if someone doesn't know things, a piano is one thing or another. As I see it, associations are always looking for artists; obviously, there is no compensation, and what the artist gains is only artistic curriculum (which is nonetheless not little given the times; it's always better to have an extra piece of paper).

Putting yourself out there is not that simple, otherwise you wouldn't have opened this topic, and popularity is something that is acquired by working your tail off and investing money and effort into your own image. You will realize that it will become a full-time job and a huge expenditure of money. The problem is that in a digital world, it is not at all easy to find a pinch of popularity.

Making yourself known through competitions certainly helps, but a competition is often much more demanding than a concert. In a concert, mistakes are allowed; in a competition, they are not, and preparing a program for a competition done properly takes time and money (not just registration fees: see masterclasses and auditions). All this because in competitions you shouldn't just participate; you must at least reach the podium and possibly win them if you want to have a minimum return on your image. Finally, it is necessary to share your skills on all channels and spend money. In short, the investment is truly huge.

Personally, I have spent a lot, worked myself to the bone, and I am only just beginning to see some fruit... An American director chose my recordings as the soundtrack for one of his films. It is a great satisfaction; it will also list me as the performing pianist of the soundtrack on IMDb, so that's more curriculum.

As I continue to say, investing in organizing concerts by yourself is an investment that leads nowhere unless you are the son of Rockefeller, because the costs are disproportionate.

Start presenting yourself to some associations. Normally, around September, they begin to make the concert program for the whole year. Pester one of these associations and see if you can get a few dates. That's how it begins...

Further consideration... If you start with the idea of "being better than others," being a concert performer is not for you. A concert is not made to prove that one is superior to others, but to express one's own musical ideas with great humility (quite the opposite). If you want to measure yourself against others, there are competitions... Obviously not local ones, which aren't worth a dime, but those at a national level.

Here it is, this was the answer I was waiting for! That, besides saying no to self-organized concerts, explains the reason for that no; thank you, I understand!

The project was not imminent because I only have a few dozen minutes of valid repertoire right now, but at least I have understood roughly what the path is to follow to aspire to a career as a concert performer

PS: By "being better than others" I meant the reason why an association should choose me and not the usual well-connected person, but since you denied the presence of well-connected people, this discussion is no longer valid. (I didn't mean it in terms of performance)

Well! One more piece of advice I can give you. Vary the pieces. If you want to show off your skills, Chopin studies aren't the only thing that exists. A Mozart andante can be much more difficult. Difficulty isn't just about moving your fingers quickly, but making this blessed instrument sing (which is not easy and not for everyone). Only those who have truly mastered weight technique can sing as they should.

Another piece of advice... There are those who arrange pieces in chronological order (from oldest to most modern). I am against this, and I prefer to arrange the concert program in crescendo; there is obviously a reason for this.

The first few minutes on stage are the most terrible:

- You aren't yet inside the music and you feel the presence of the audience

- You feel agitated

- Your hand trembles

- Thoughts of making mistakes assail you

- Your memory deceives you

- Your fingers are still cold (if you are particularly tense, even sweaty)

It is advisable to start with a technically simple piece that instills confidence in you, and then steadily increase the difficulty. The technically simplest pieces are usually the slowest, and you have to sing. To sing, you must think of the melodic line in your head and "sing it" first in your mind. This mentally distracts you from the audience and allows you to enter the music. As soon as you finish the first piece, you will already feel more confident, your hand begins to warm up, and you no longer tremble. The train has now left the station, and you can gradually increase the difficulty. You will pass from the phase of terror to that of melancholy (you will be sorry to end the concert).

As for repertoire, do not exceed an hour and a quarter, and divide the program into two parts. During the intermission between the two parts, relax, and when you restart, begin with the least demanding piece of the second part to re-establish your connection with the music first and foremost, and then with the audience.

I remember that a good performance of Chopin's studies involves, above all, the "hidden" cantabile part in every étude!

A parte gli scherzi.. I appreciate the precious advice and in fact I also study Beethoven, Rachmaninov but aside from the repertoire which I think is more personal.. Let me give you a small opinion.. Besides arranging the pieces in order of difficulty, I try to pair those with the same keys to make the listening experience more linear and pleasant